Wales is the place for castles

There are more castles in Wales than anywhere else in the world—some 600 of them. That means no matter where you happen to be in Wales you can probably organize a day trip around castle-watching. Caernarfon Castle is one of the top places foreign visitors say they most hope to see.

They are more than 700 years old, and built not to protect Wales but to occupy it. Following his conquest of Wales, Edward I built a formidable iron ring of castles, to defend his aquisitions from Welsh rebellion.

An article on the VisitBritain website says the Welsh castles are more popular than Buckingham Palace as the most popular place to visit in a survey—more popular than visiting Stonehenge or watching a Premier League football match.

The condition of the castles varies. Some are in excellent shape. Others are ruins in various states of disuse and some show little more than earthworks.